Warning signal and mechanism therefor



7 Dec. 2, 1941. F. E. WELD EI'AL WARNING SIGNAL AND MECHANISM THEREFOR Original Filed Oct, 18, 1935v 3 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. 2,

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WARNING SIGNAL AND MECHANISM THEREFOR Original Filed 0ct. l8, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Irwentam Dec. 2, 1941. F. E} WELD HAL 2,264,866

WARNING SIGNAL-AND MECHANISM THEREFOR Original. Filed 001:. is, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inv en #07 6? Patented Dec. 2, 1941 WARNING SIGNAL AND MECHANISM THEREFOR Foster E. Weld, Newton, and Harry S. Smith, Needham, Mass., assignors to The Gamewell Company, Newton Upper Falls, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Original application October 18, 1935, Serial No. 45,608, now Patent No. 2,167,964, dated August 1, 1939. Divided and this application June 10, 1939, Serial No. 278,460

2 Claims.

This invention relates to warning signals and mechanism therefor and, more particularly though not exclusively, to pre-powered signaling mechanism and starting means therefor, operation of which will be initiated upon manual actuation or displacement of some part or object, for causing a warning signal such as will attract the attention of those in the immediate vicinity. This application is-a division of our application Ser. No. 45,608, filed October 18, 1935, now Patent No. 2,167,964, dated August 1, 1939.

Furthermore, mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention may be advantageously employed for giving warning of unauthorized tampering with or appropriation of property; as, for example, for purposes of discouraging the stealing of automobiles, boats, etc, as well as for deterring intrusion into buildings or unauthorized opening of cash-drawers, safes and the like.

More specifically, this invention relates to mechanism for discouraging or deterring unwarranted manipulation of fire alarm signal stations or boxes; to the end that life and property may be to, either have failed to produce a signal of duration suflicient for practical purposes or have embodied features intricate and complicated in character and have been found to be of insufiicient reliability as well as undesirable in respects of design and bulkiness. Furthermore, such signals and mechanism have been found unsuited for convenient, expeditious and economical installation, application to and adjustment of, in connection with existing objects and equipment not specially designed therefor. Such prior signals and mechanism also have, in many instances, been found to be liable to interfere with the normal utilization and actuation of the safeguarded equipment, and have been found to deter, detain and/or discourage authorized actuation, inspection or manipulation of such equipment.

It is, therefore, an important object to provide a unitary or self-contained warning signal structure of such character that it maybe readily and inexpensively applied to or associated with existing objects or equipment not specially designed for use therewith.

Another object of this invention is to provide a warning signal easily and read ly distin i hable from frequently encountered sounds and. signals utilized for dissimilar purposes.

Another object is to provide such a warning signal which, following initiation of activity thereof, will continue persistently and distinctly to give the intended signal throughout a predetermined and relatively long time.

Another object is to provide such a warning signal mechanism of such reliability as will deter unauthorized manipulation of protected equipment While inviting and encouraging authorized manipulation thereof.

Other and more specific objects and advantages will appear in the following description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention, or will be apparent to those skilled in this art.

In order to facilitate comprehension of this invention, an embodiment thereof is shown in association with a conventional fire alarm signal station as a false alarm deterrent, whereby the foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto are accomplished as follows:

A conspicuous structure is mounted upon the fire alarm box and is secured thereto in such manner as to prevent its removal other than by obtaining access to the interior of the box or by severing rugged metallic parts.

This structure comprises a Weatherproof casing which contains a spring motor, acting through a train of gears, for effecting a comparatively rapid rotation of a flywheel which carries a plurality of toothed projections on one face thereof, and which is so supported as to be movable axially.

A diaphragm is fixed, adjacent said flywheel and carries a projecting member in such relation thereto that said teeth may be brought into engagement with said member incidental to axial movement of said flywheel during rotation thereof, to thereby produce a signal in the well known manner.

A comparatively slow moving gear in the fore. going train has a number of projections from one of its faces. Such projections engage the rounded end of a shaft upon which said flywheel is secured, to the end that, as each projection on said gear moves into engagement with said flywheel shaft, said shaft and the flywheel thereon will be so moved as to bring said teeth into engagement with the projection carried by said diaphragm.

Upon disengagement of the gear projection from the end of the flywheel shaft, the inherent tension of the diaphragm causes the flywheel and shaft to move therefrom until the flywheel teeth are disengaged from said diaphragm projection.

A driving spring for said motor has, associated with an end thereof, manual winding means and retaining means; the torque of the other end of said spring being applied for driving said gears.

A two-position brake is associated with said flywheel for normally holding said train at rest.

A flexible cable connects said brake with the and said gear will cause intermittent engagement between said flywheel and diaphragm projection to produce a warning signal comprising a series of distinctive raucous blasts.

Brake governing mechanism is provided comprising a notched wheel driven concurrently with said gear and associated with said brake in such manner as will prevent the movement of said brake to its holding position when said flywheel is in diaphragm projection engaging position; to

the end that the brake can be effective only when said projections are positioned to permit disengagement of said teeth from said diaphragm projection. This brake governing mechanism assures that, whenever the brake is released, the spring motor and the train may move to a substantial extent, and thereby gain considerable momentum, before application of the load incidental to the first flywheel-diaphragm engagement.

Ordinarily the aforementioned brake device and cable arrangement is such that the brake is moved to releasing position and allowed to there remain until the entire useful energy in the spring motor is expended; however, if desirable the arrangement may be such that the brake remains in released position only during a period substantially co-extensive with the time during which there is displacement or manipulation of the safeguarded equipment, thereby conserving the motor spring energy so as to provide for effective signaling incidental to number of subsequent safeguarded equipment manipulations.

For the purpose of facilitating coniprehens1on of this invention and what are considered to be its novel characteristics, an embodiment thereof is represented in the annexed drawings and hereinafter described. Such embodiment, though practical, is by no means the only one which the invention may assume; wherefore the invention is not confined to any particular degree of conformity with the more or less diagrammatic representation of the drawings but may be changed and modified in various particulars so long as such changes and modifications make no material departure from the invention as more particularly set forth in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings, like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views in which Figure 1 is a front view of a warning signal embodying this invention as applied to a fire alarm signal station;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the signal of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the signal of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the signal of Figs. 1, 2 and 3; certain parts being omitted in the interests of clearness and other parts being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a view, partly in section, more clearly indicating details of construction of certain of the parts indicated in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a distorted isometric view of the mechanism of the signal of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, including the parts shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which axial displacements have been increased in the interests of clarity;

Figs. 7 and 8 show details to be referred to; and

Fig. 9 shows a modification to be referred to.

A conventional fire alarm signal station or box 13 is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This box has a handle 56 which, when pulled downwardly, will initiate activity of signaling mechanism assooiated therewith for the purpose of transmitting signals to a fire brigade or department to summon aid therefrom.

The casing of a warning signal S embodying this invention is shown mounted on the top of the fire alarm box B.

A bell crank 52 is pivoted at 54 and has one leg 56 thereof extending in a substantially horizontal direction in the path of downward movement of the handle 56, so as to be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction about pivot 54 whenever said handle is moved to a position for causing signal transmission.

A depending leg 58 of said bell crank lies wholly within a trip mechanism casing T, and moves with the leg 56 for causing activity of the warning signal as hereinafter more fully explained.

A control cable C extends from the trip mechanism casing T through the box B to the warning signal S. The portion of the cable extending between the box B and the warning signal S is enclosed in a protective tubing or pipe P which is firmly secured in the top of the box B (as a threaded or a press fit connection) and extends through the casing of the warning signal S.

The cable C comprises an outer casing or sheath 60 and an inner plunger 62 freely slidable therethrough. One end of said casing is firmly secured at a fastening 86 to the trip mechanism casing T, and the other end of said casing is firmly secured, as at a fastening 64 (Fig. 6), within the warning signal S.

One end of the plunger 62 is associated with the leg 56 of the bell crank 52 so that said plunger will be moved through said casing responsive to rotation of said bell crank. Said association is such as to facilitate adjustment of the relationship between said bell crank and said plunger; a threaded connection between the free end of'said plunger and said leg having been found to be a desirable means of association. The other end of the plunger 52 is associated with the signal mechanism S, as hereinafter more fully explained.

For a detailed description of the warning signal S, reference is bad to Fig. i in which a sound chamber or end member 10 is shown as cornprising a reverberatory chamber l2 and an orifice M, the lower end of which orifice communicates with the outside atmosphere. A number of struts or ribs l6, 16 (see also Fig. 3) are situated in this orifice for the purpose of structural reinforcement and for the further purpose of obstructing the introduction through said orifice it of any object or implement capable of disabling the sound producing mechanism which will be presently described. One of the walls of the chamber 12 has an opening 18 thcrethrough and the outer surface of said wall has a recess 80 formed therein.

A diaphragm 82 is clamped to the member 10 by means of a clamping ring 84, in such position that said diaphragm covers the opening 18 and the recess 80. The ring 84 is secured to the member 10 by screws such as 88, 90 and 92.

It will be noted that certain of the screws, such as 90, 92 have threaded openings in the heads thereof (indicated by dotted line) for receiving mechanism supporting screws such as 94, 96 which, in turn, have threaded openings in the heads thereof for receiving mechanism attaching screws such as 98, I00.

A frame plate I02 is clamped to mechanism supporting screws 94, 96, by mechanism attaching screws 98, I in such manner that the spacing of said plate from the diaphragm 02 may be readily adjusted by rotating the supporting screws in one direction or the other while the attaching screws are temporarily loosened.

A second frame plate I04 is spaced from the plate I02 by posts or pillars such as I06, I08 which are affixed thereto and are secured to the plate I02 by screws such as H0, H2.

A housing or casing H4 is secured to the ring 84, as by screws H6 (see also Figs. 2 and 3) and said casing carries in an opening therethrough a bearing H8 for a shaft which will be presently described.

A cover I20 is secured to the casing H4 by means of a pivot stud I22, so that said cover may normally close the opening in which the bearing H8 is secured but may be moved to a position exposing said opening.

It will be observed that the ring 84 does not fully cover the adjacent face of the member 10, and that the edge of the casing H4 which surrounds said ring forms a snug joint with said adjacent chamber face.

A main shaft I24 has an end I26 thereof journaled in said bearing H8 and the other end thereof 'journaled in frame plates I02 and I04, as best shown in Fig. 5.

.The end I26 of the main shaft I24 has a polygonal opening I28 formed therein, as best shown in Figs. and 6, for receiving a correspondingly formed end I80 of a winding key I32.

A sleeve I34 is fixed upon the shaft I24 by means of a stud I36; the head of which stud serves for attachment of the inner end of a main spring I36. Said sleeve extends along said shaft I 24 from the edge of the spring I38 farthest from the frame plate I04 towards said frame plate to a point somewhat beyond the stud I36; however, such sleeve does not extend to the opposite edge of said spring.

A disc I39 is loosely supported by the shaft I24 between the bearing H8 and the sleeve 434 for preventing distortion of the convolutions of said spring I30 during winding and unwinding.

A bushing I40 extends from the sleeve I84 to said plate I04; a portion thereof situated within the spring I88 being of somewhat smaller diameter than the sleeve I 84, so as to be at all times free from said spring.

, Said bushing I 40 is journaled upon said shaft I24 for rotation independently thereof, and said bushing has fixed thereon a spring guard member I42, a notched disc I44, and a gear I46; said spring guard member, disc and gear being further secured against relative rotation by means of a dowel pin I48 which is indicated in Fig. 6 as consisting of a rod. 2

The bushing 40, in cooperation with the sleeve I34, serves to limit axial movement of the shaft I24 such as would carry the spring I38 toward the frame plate I04. Axial movement of said shaft in the other direction is limited by a bifurcated member I50 (best shown in Fig. '1) which is situated in a groove I52 and which has a turned-over end thereof I54 projecting into an opening provided therefor in the plate I04. Such member I50 permits free rotation of said shaft I24, while suitably limiting the axial movement thereof such as would carry the spring I38 away from the frame plate I04.

A wire spring I56 is coiled around a portion of the shaft I24 situated between the plates I02 and I04; an end of said spring being secured to the plate I02 by means of the screw I58 and nut I60. The application of this coiled wire is such as to provide a friction clutch which resists rotation of said shaft I 24 in a direction which would permit unwinding of the spring I38 while permitting such rotation in a direction tending to wind the spring I38.

The outer end of the spring I38 is connected to the member I42 (as best indicated in Figs. 4 and 6) so as to act through said member I42 and gear I46 to drive a train of gears. Such gear train consists of the gear I46 meshing with a pinion I62 on a shaft I64, a gear I66 on said shaft I64 meshing with a pinion I68 on a shaft I10, and a gear I12 on said shaft I10 meshing with a pinion I14 secured to a shaft I16.

The shafts I64, I10 and I16 are journaled in the frame plates I02 and I04; said shaft I16, and the parts carried thereby, being so formed and arranged as to permit both rotational and axial movement of said shaft, for the purpose which will be hereinafter more fully explained.

A flywheel I18 is fixed upon the shaft I15 and carries a circular series of projections I80. A tooth or projection I82 is fixed upon the diaphragm 82 and substantially concentric therewith; the relationship between said tooth I82 and the flywheel projections I being such that said tooth will be situated in the path of the rotation of said projections when the shaft I16 is axially moved toward said diaphragm.

A series of projections or bosses I84, I84, I 84, I04 are carried by the gear I46 in such relationship to the shaft I16 that, during rotation of said gear, said bosses will be carried past that end of said shaft I16 situated farthest from said diaphragm.

During assembly, the adjusting screws (such as 04, 96) are so set and clamped by the attaching screws 98, I00 as to space the gear I46 from the tooth I82 a distance such that, when the parts are assembled as hereinbefore described and said bosses are carried past the end of said shaft I16 in the course of the rotation of said gear I46, each boss will engage and cause sufflcient axial movement of said shaft I16 to effect suitable engagement between the projections I80 and the tooth I82 whereby to cause actuation of the diaphragm 82 and the generation of sound waves thereby; said spacing also being such as to permit rotation of the flywheel I18 without bringing any of the projections I80 into engagement with the tooth I82 when none of the bosses I84, I64, I84, I84 are in the path of the end of the shaft I16.

For reasons well understood by those skilled in thi art, the tooth I82 and the projections I80 should be of'wear-resisting material. In order that the flywheel I18 may readily be so produced as to provide wear-resisting surfaces for the pro-' jections 89 and, at the same time, have adequate mass in compact form, it has been found desirable to construct the central portion or web of said wheel, as well as the projections I89, of hardened steel, and to apply thereto a rim I96 (best shown in Fig. 4) of comparatively heavy material, such as lead, which may be readily machined for true balancing of the flywheel.

A brake member I99 is loosely pivoted upon the shaft I64 and has affixed thereto, at one side of said shaft, a brake shoe I92 for engaging the periphery of the flywheel I18 and, at the opposite side of said shaft, has a projecting arm I94.

A brake toggle piece I96 is pivotally mounted on a shaft I98 (see Figs. 6 and 8) and is operatively connected with the free end of the arm I94 of the brake member I99 by a ball-tenon and socket connection 299.

An over-center spring 292 is so applied to the toggle piece I96 as to tend to retain same in a position which causes the brake shoe I92 to be applied to the periphery of the flywheel I18 and also to retain same in another position causing said shoe to be withdrawn from said periphery.

A tracer 294 cooperates with the periphery of the notched disc I44 and is so associated with said toggle I96 as to permit movement thereof such as will carry the shoe I92 into engagement with the periphery of the flywheel I18 only when a notch in said disc I44 is presented to said tracer 294.

A pin 296 carried by the toggle I96 engages a terminal member 298 which is secured to the plunger 62 of the control cable C adjacent the fastening 64.

Operation The operation of the warning signal thus far described is as follows:

Assuming that the spring Ia9 has been wound, and that the brake shoe I92 is holding the flywheel I19, manipulation of the handle 59 for the purpose of causing the transmission of an alarm will cause the bell crank 52 to swing around its pivot 54 and thereby so move the core or plunger 62 of the cable C as to swing the toggle I96 around the shaft I98 to a position which will cause the brake member I99 to withdraw the shoe I92 from engagement with the periphery of the flywheel I13. The spring 292 will be then so applied as to tend to retain the toggle member I96 in its revised position.

When the mechanism has thus been released, the gear train will run, rapidly accelerating the speed of the flywheel I18, until one of the projections I84 is carried by the gear I46 into engagement with the end of the shaft I16. Such engagement will move said shaft axially and cause the projections I69 to engage the tooth I82 and vibrate the diaphragm 82, whereupon sound waves will be generated.

The resultant sound as emitted from the orifice 14 will be of an unusual, distinctive and attention-attracting character efiected by the moving of the projections E89 into engaging relation with the tooth I32, the slight deceleration of the flywheel I'I8 due to such engagement, and the ensuing withdrawal of said projections from engagement with said tooth incidental to withdrawal of projection I94 from the rounded end of the shaft I16.

From the foregoing it is evident that the mechanism will continue to operate as indicated, until the power of the spring I38 is substantially exhausted, thereby producing a series of blasts each of which will have strikingly distinctive characteristics for the reasons just explained.

When it is desired to restore the parts for further operation, the bell crank 52 should be moved to its normal position, thus tending to swing the toggle I96 to a position which will cause the shoe I92 to be brought into arresting engagement with the periphery of the flywheel I18.

If, at such time, one of the notches formed in the disc I44 is presented to the tracer 294, said shoe may be brought into effective restraining relationship with said flywheel I18. Otherwise, such relationship cannot be attained until the spring I33 has been sufficiently rewound to rotate the parts, so that none of the projections I84 will engage the shaft I16, whereupon one of the notches formed in the disc I44 will be presented to the tracer 294 and the toggle I96 will be permitted to move to a position where the spring 292 will cause it to act through the member I99 to maintain the shoe I92 in restraining relationship to the flywheel I18.

For the purpose of rewinding the spring I38, the cover I29 should be swung around its pivot stud I22 thereby uncovering the end I26 of the main shaft I24, whereupon the polygonal end I39 of the winding key I 92 may be inserted in the polygonal opening I23 in the end of said main shaft and said key may then be rotated until the spring is fully wound.

M odz'fication of Fig. 9

If it is desired that the warning signal shall sound only so long as the safeguarded movable part is displaced, provision should be made for automatically re-applying the brake shoe I92 to the flywheel I18 when such movable member has been returned to its normal position. For this purpose, a spring may be so applied as to constantly urge movement of the brake member I99 toward effective position. This may be accomplished as indicated in Fig. 9 where the spring 229 is so applied to the bell crank leg 56' as to tend to restore said bell crank to normal position whenever the handle 59 has returned to its normal position after having been moved to a position which has caused release of the warning signal.

The operation of the signal when constructed in accordance with the modification of Fig. 9 is the same as that hereinbefore described except that, whenever the handle 59 is restored to its normal position, the spring 229 will urge movement of the brake member I99, acting through the bell crank 52, the cable plunger 62, the pin 296 and the toggle I96 to cause the shoe I92 to be moved toward the flywheel I18; to the end that, when a notch in the disc I44 is next presented to the tracer 294, the operation of the warning signal will be arrested.

It is believed that the accompanying drawings, taken with the foregoing description, will enable those skilled in this art to fully understand this invention and to avail themselves of the many alternative arrangements of parts which may be made for meeting the diverse service problems for the solution of which this invention is suited.

No claim is made herein to the combination of an alarm box, an external noise producing mechanism, and connections therebetween to operate the noise producing mechanism Whenever the box is operated, said combination being claimed in our parent application referred to above.

We claim:

1. In sound propagating mechanism, the combination of a diaphragm, a shaft journaled for both rotational and axial movement, a flywheel upon said shaft adjacent said diaphragm, a plurality of projections carried by said flywheel, a projection carried by said diaphragm for engagement by said flywheel projections during certain axial positionings of said shaft, a driving spring, a gear train connecting the driving spring with said flywheel, and a member having a series of projections moved by said train and intermittently engageable with said flywheel shaft for causing axial positionings thereof effecting intermittent engagement of said flywheel projections with said diaphragm projection whereby running 

